Press Release : 006

November 8, 2009

WORLD CHAMPION WILL COMPETE ON SAFARI

Just last week, a deal was struck whereby the 1979 World Rally Champion, Björn Waldegård, will definitely compete in a Porsche 911 on the Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally in just over two weeks time.

Originally entered in a Porsche 911 from England, Waldegård was due to return with his co-driving son, Mathais, to defend their title after winning the last Safari Classic in 2007 with a Ford Escort RS1600. However, circumstances prevented that from happening but at the eleventh hour, Iqbal Sagoo, a Kenyan now resident in California stepped in. Sagoo drove a Porsche 911 on the 2007 event with Jurgen Bertl and eventually finished eighteenth after at least a couple of major delays culminating in a wiring fire on the last day. The Porsche has now been fully re-prepared and Sagoo has invited Waldegård to drive it while he takes up the co-driver's duties.

Waldegård's reputation on Safari Rallies is an enviable one. He first won the Safari in 1977 with a Ford Escort RS1800 and then three more times for Toyota - in 1984 and 1986 with a Celica TC Turbo and in 1990 with a Celica GT-Four. He has also competed on the Safari Classics of 2005 and 2007, the first time finishing seventh with a Porsche 911 and last time winning in the Ford Escort. If all those wins are counted, then Waldegård has equalled the Safari record of the legendary Shekhar Mehta who won the Safari five times for Nissan in the 1970s and 80s.

Born in 1943, Waldegård started rallying in his native Sweden in 1962. He won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1969 and 1970 with a Porsche 911 and won the very first FIA World Rally Championship Driver's title in 1979 driving a Ford Escort RS1800 and a Mercedes 450 SLC 5.0. He also won the Swedish Rally five times, with a Porsche 911 in 1968, 1969 and 1970, with a Lancia Stratos in 1975 and a Ford Escort in 1978.

The 2009 Kenya Airways East African Safari Classic Rally starts on November 23rd from Mombasa and the forty-six crews will drive for 4,500 km (2,800 miles) through Kenya and Tanzania before finishing back in Mombasa on December 2nd.

Sponsored by Kenya Airways and with Access Kenya providing its Internet service, this is one of the most highly regarded events for classic cars in the World. It has kept the name of "Safari Rally " alive since the original World Championship event ceased running after 2002. This biennial event now looks as if its values may be coming back into favour as the FIA have relaxed their rules on the format of World Championship events and there may yet be a Safari Rally once again in the list of WRC events. For this reason, the 2009 Safari Classic has attracted more attention than would normally be expected for a classic rally.

For press enquiries, contact E-mail: info@eastafricansafarirally.com

East African Safari Classic Rally 2007
No.10, Metropolitan Estate
Chiromo Access Road (Off Riverside Drive)
P.O. Box 14910 - 00800
Nairobi
Kenya
Tel: +254-733-730556
Fax: +254-20-4440346
Email: info@eastafricansafarirally.com
Website: www.eastafricansafarirally.com